Wawasee Volleyball: First Win In The Books
LAGRANGE — Life is just better when you win. The Wawasee volleyball team found that out Monday night as the Warriors picked up their first victory of the season with a 3-1 decision over Lakeland.
Wawasee came out looking very tough and disciplined in the first game. Lakeland was unable to keep up with the intensity of the Warriors and it showed. The visiting team looked to be doing the little things right while the Lakers struggled to get comfortable with fundamental. The high energy level was fueled by play from Liz Hardy and Hannah-Marie Lamle. It all combined for quick and uneventful 25-13 win for Wawasee. But the second game was far from the same blueprint.
Lakeland jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set. That set the tone for a game where the Lakers were suddenly in the driver’s seat and Wawasee looked lost on the court. Missed assignments and careless mistakes from the Warriors allowed Lakeland to keep its lead and eventually get up by as much as 10. A late rally from Wawasee made things interesting but the Lakers would hold on for a 25-17 victory. With the first two games being total opposites of each other, a five-game match between the two teams seemed to be the inevitable outcome.
The Warriors did not let their performance in the second game keep them down and were able to start strong in the third. The tide seemed to turn when Brooke Heche came in to serve three-straight points for the Warriors, expanding their lead to 9-4. Wawasee kept Lakeland at a safe distance for the remainder of the game to win 25-16.
There was no letdown after winning a game this time as Wawasee picked up where it left off in the third game and would continue to control things in the fourth. The Warriors could smell victory in the air and refused to let Lakeland take that away. The Lakers did make a late run to create some difficulty for Wawasee but the visitors closed out the fourth set with a 25-17 victory.
“Our attitude changed tonight,” said Wawasee head coach Kayla Riportella. “I told the girls between the second and third sets that they needed to learn how to win. This program, from what I’ve known, from what I’ve seen, has not been a winning program.
“These girls are not used to dominating in matches or being a confident force on the court. They’re used to things being close. They’re still recognizing their own potential and learning to win. I told them that it will take a while, but no matter how talented we are, no team is going to give it to us, we have to take it. They did that tonight. It wasn’t pretty at times, but that’s volleyball. I’m happy with the win.
Monday’s win was the first for Riportella, the program’s first-year head coach. It would not have been made possible without some impressive individual performances. Riportella mentioned that it was a team effort but a few girls stood out.
“Hannah-Marie,” stated Riportella when asked about which girls made a difference. “Hannah-Marie took charge out there when I needed an offensive force, and she wasn’t just offensive, she was big with her defense all day. She was up at the net for everything, aggressive no matter what, swinging through. It was great to see from her.
“Olivia Clouse had some really positive, dominant swings and that’s what we needed. We needed some momentum tonight and those two girls gave it to us.
Lamle led Wawasee with seven kills and three blocks. Clouse tied with Heche for a team-high four aces. Madie Wilson led the team with 20 digs. Seaquinn Bright added 16 digs.
Wawasee (1-2) will host Central Noble Tuesday night.
Wawasee’s JV team wasted no time picking up a win on Monday. The ladies swept Lakeland 25-8, 25-8. Leia Munn had nine aces for Wawasee while Janea Hapner had five kills. Wawasee is now 5-1 on the season.